I've been building companies and leading people strategy for decades, but I've never been a developer. For years, that meant my best ideas stayed trapped in my head—or cost me tens of thousands of dollars every time I wanted to build something real.

Then AI changed everything.

In this episode, I'm sharing my story of going from paying $10K+ per change on my Everyday Innovator assessment to building HeyAnna—a fully functional collaboration app—in 48 hours after a breakfast conversation in Kiowa, Colorado.

This isn't a tech podcast. This is about what happens when the barrier between "I have an idea" and "I built the thing" disappears.

We're all so busy being afraid of what AI might replace that we're missing what it makes POSSIBLE. For the first time in history, you don't need permission, investors, or a technical co-founder to turn your ideas into reality.

I lived through Facebook, Uber, and the birth of the internet. This moment is bigger. AI isn't just changing how we work—it's democratizing who gets to build.

What we cover:

• The real cost of being non-technical (and how AI eliminates it)
• My journey from paying developers to building myself with Claude and Lovable
• The exact moment everything changed (spoiler: it involved eggs and Jeff)
• Why "I'm not technical" is no longer a valid excuse
• What courage looks like when the tools finally match your vision

If you've been carrying around an idea but feel stuck because you "don't know how to code," this episode is for you. The tools are here. The moment is now. Let's build.

Two two apps I reference in the website:

www.everydayinnovators.ai

www.heyanna.app

I'm pulling back the curtain on imposter syndrome—how early labels shape who we believe we're allowed to be, why that "I'm-a-fraud" voice screams loudest the moment we don't have the answer, and what an impostor spiral feels like in real time. I'll share a colleague's story of kids who never questioned their college destiny, the semester I spent at UC Berkeley waiting for someone to tell me admissions messed up, and the boardroom flashes where I still catch myself posturing instead of admitting I don't know (yet). Then I'll dive into my three go-to tools for loosening impostor syndrome's grip: a quick naming practice that snaps me out of autopilot, a commute-time audio journal that drains the spiral of its power, and a curiosity script that turns "I don't know" into genuine inquiry—and credibility. Hit play, and let's trade posture for presence and claim the space we've earned.

This episode is all about my experience in the messy middle—what it felt like when I was deep in the dip, why it was so hard to keep going, and what helped me not walk away when everything felt like a mess. I open up about the grip of impostor syndrome, how clapping back at my inner lizard brain (aka Bernard) gave me a little space to breathe, and the ongoing tug-of-war between wanting to grow and wanting to quit.

I share moments from biking through the Swiss Alps, hiking a 14er, and facing the sting of someone challenging the work my team had poured our hearts into—because whether it's a mountain or a meeting, the J-Curve shows up everywhere. And sometimes, the mess is the lesson.